• Detail of a marginal painting of a female pig on stilts, wearing a conical hat, from the left-hand margin of the folio., Chroniques, Vol. IV, part 1 (the 'Harley Froissart')

figures and birds, in colours and gold (ff. 3, 23v, 34, 43, 60v, 64, 83v, 99, 112v, 135v, 146). 18 small column-wide miniatures with large decorated initials and partial foliate borders including hybrid figures and birds, in colours and gold

• Decorated initial-word panel accompanied by a resting black sheep, and an initial word surrounded by a foliate scroll, at the beginning of the customs of Passover., Festival prayer book, Italian rite

178v, 183)Hair side and flesh side are distinguishable. 3 frontispieces with initial-word panels and full borders, in colours and gold (ff. 1, 27v, 30v). 1 full-page miniature including the first owner’s inscription (f. 287). Numerous initial-word panels and initial words

• Detail of a ecorated initial-word panel accompanied by a resting black sheep, and an initial word surrounded by a foliate scroll, at the beginning of the customs of Passover., Festival prayer book, Italian rite

178v, 183)Hair side and flesh side are distinguishable. 3 frontispieces with initial-word panels and full borders, in colours and gold (ff. 1, 27v, 30v). 1 full-page miniature including the first owner’s inscription (f. 287). Numerous initial-word panels and initial words

• Bas-de-page scene of sheep and a group of people talking., Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the 'Smithfield Decretals')

of sheepand a group of people talking. Part I: the text and gloss written in Southern France, perhaps in Toulouse: lemmata underlined in yellow, with the decoration left unfinished.Catchwords and bifolium signatures; numerous corrections.Part II: the Calendarium illuminated and

• Full white vine border, inhabited by birds, with a roundel of Virgil, another of shepherds minding their sheep, a large initial 'T'(itire), and, in the lower margin, a wreath, intended for arms, supported by two putti., Bucolica (index Bucolics, Eclogues)(ff. 1-35); Georgica (index Georgics) (ff. 35-55v); Aeneis (index Aeneid) (ff. 55v-239v)

by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, inscribed as usual by their librarian,

• Full-page miniature of floral motifs inhabited by animals (including a monkey with his back turned) and birds, with two medallions of a squirrel and a pig (?) and including the first owner’s inscription in decorated panels., Festival prayer book, Italian rite

back turned) and birds, with two medallions of a squirrel and a pig (?) and including the first owner’s inscription in decorated panels. Parallel Hebrew foliation. Gilt edges.Censors’ erasures (e.g., ff. 2, 8v, 154, 155v, 178v, 183)Hair side and flesh

• Historiated intial 'T'(itire) at the beginning of book 1 of Virgil's Eclogues, with a portrait of Virgil holding a scroll with his initials 'P. V. M. (P. Vergilius Maro); a miniature in the border of a shepherd piping and sheep? and a partial foliate border., Bucolica (index Bucolics, Eclogues), Georgica (index Georgics), Aeneis (index Aeneid), with Argumentum and verses

border in gold and colours, with a bird (f. 54). Four partial borders in gold and colours (ff. 4, 18, 26, 43v). A historiated initial in gold and colours (f. 4) and other foliate initials in gold and colours. Unfinished

• Detail from the lower margin of a herald with a horn on the right, and two monkeys in hats jousting, riding a bear and a pig., Recueil des croniques d’Engleterre

the Vienna and Copenhagen Toison d’Or (ff. 14v, 281v, 284).Catchwords and bifolium signatures. Foliation in red beginning on f. 10.Written instructions to the illuminator. 5 half-page miniatures in colours and gold, with full borders, and initials in colours and gold

• Detail of a bas-de-page scene of a man driving an oxen and sheep past a crippled and a king., Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the 'Smithfield Decretals')

andsheep past a crippled and a king. Part I: the text and gloss written in Southern France, perhaps in Toulouse: lemmata underlined in yellow, with the decoration left unfinished.Catchwords and bifolium signatures; numerous corrections.Part II: the Calendarium illuminated

• Detail of a marginal miniature of a woman shearing a sheep, illustrating the month of June in the calendar., Psalter

and the Trinity (f. 108v). Small marginal calendar miniatures in colours and gold with the labours of the months and Zodiac signs integrated in a full border of acanthus leaves, flowers, birds and fruits on a gold, blue, red

• Miniature of Simon de Hesdin presenting his book to the king of France Charles V (index presentation scene), in the foreground, a dog pursues a monkey. Full strew border in the Ghent-Bruges style with acanthus leaves, flowers, figures, and a monkey mounted on a sheep (damaged), with a space left blank for a coat of arms. Decorated initial 'L'(a briefte) at the beginning of book 1., Les Fais et les Dis des Romains et de autres gens (index Memorabilia, index Facta et Dicta Memorabilia), vol. 1, imperfect

by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, inscribed as usual by their librarian,

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

sheep or oxe swelle That any worm hath ete or worm y stonge Take water of that welle and wassh his tonge And it is hool anon and forthermore Of pokkes and of Scabbe and euery sore Shal euery

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

a Chauntrye for soules And ran to Londoū , vn to Seint Poules And leet his sheep , encombred in the Myre He sette noght. his benefice to hyre By his clennesse , how þt his sheep sholde lyue Wel

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

parysh moche and lyte Vpon his feet and in his hand a staffe This noble ensample to his sheep he yaffe That firste he wroght and afterward he taght Oute of the gospell tho wordes he kaught. And this figure

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

Ther was enclosid rip and sad corage And in gret reuerence and charite Hir olde poore fadre fostred she A few sheep spynnyng on felde she kepte She wolde nat ben ydel til she slepte And whan she whom ward

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

the drought and by the Reyne The yeldyng of his seed and of his greyne His lordes sheep his neet and his deyrye. His swyn his hors his stoore and his pultrye Was holly in his Reues gouernyngã And by

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

Thre laarge sowes had she and no mo Thre kyn and ek a sheep that hight malle Ful soty was hir boure and eke hir halle In which she ete many a sclender mele Of poynant sauce hir neded neuer

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

to be To soone ripe and bold as men may se Which is ful perilous and hath ben yore For al to sone may she lerne loore Of boldnesse whan that she is a wif And ye maistresse in your

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

that they doon , ȝe shul it deere a beye Vnder a Shepherde , soft and necligent The wolf , hath many a sheepand lamb to rent Suffiseth on ensample , now as heere For I moot turne a

• The Norman Blake Editions of The Canterbury Tales

If þt they doon , ye shul it deere abeye Vnder a shepherde , softe and necligent The wolf , hath many a sheepand lamb to rent This mayde , of which I wol this tale expersse So kepte